Journey Around the World on Muscle Power Only

I wonder what Jason Lewis did today? Did he plop in a recliner three days ago and not get out? That’s what I would have done if I had spent the last 13 years going 46,505 miles with nothing but my own muscles as the juice to propel me along. (The laws of physics helped a bit, but not enough.) Lewis just finished his around the world journey using nothing but a kayak, pedal boat, bicycle, in-line skates, a canoe and his own shoe-clad feet. Jason also swam a bit. After starting off in Greenwich, England on July 12, 1994, he arrived back on October 6th–as in a few days ago.

The trip wasn’t all that easy to put it mildly, and would make a dandy movie. It has all the ingredients–crocodile attack, shark attack, getting hit by a car, civil war, being arrested by the Egyptian police, a friendship gone sour, lack of funding, etc. At first, Jason had a traveling partner, Steve Smith. Steve dumped the journey in Hawaii after five years of daunting travel. At Expedition 360, the Web site that was set up to chronicle the journey, are a series of videos that begin at the point before the trip started when their pedal boat was going through its sea-worthy trials. By the way, Jason also had a team of folks who went along on various legs of the trip, although some of them didn’t complete their portion.

I find this story quite heartening. Not only did Jason not quit, he also raised money for charity–$60,000 worth. Here’s the page from the Web site that gives an overview of various aspects of the journey including the mishaps.